Door check



Decgzz, 1936. E. VAN AsDEL DOOR CHECK Filed Oct. l1, 1955 atented ec.22, 193@ STATS iiATENT 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a. door check device that is simple inconstruction, easy to install, inexpensive to manufacture, that willoperate in an eicient manner and that may be marketed at a relativelylow price.

An important object of the invention is to provide along with aconventional air or other fluid cylinder, an adjustable lever armoperatively connected with that cylinder, the length of the arm beingvariable to meet the individual door requirements Without having toincrease or decrease the size of the cylinder. A further primary objectof the invention is to provide a structure wherein the checking leverwhich is connected to the cylinder as above indicated is not attached tothe door but only comes in contact with the door when the doorapproaches its closed position. A still further important feature of theinvention is the inclusion of means therein to position the end of thelever as the door leaves it to provide suitable striking of the door bythat lever when the door returns after being opened.

One particular form of the invention is herein described and shown asbeing applied to a screen door although the invention is equally adaptedfor use on any type of door. Reference is made to the accompanyingdrawing, in which Fig. 1 is a detail in elevation of the upper portionof the door showing the invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2, a transverse vertical section on the line 2 2 in Fig. l;

Fig. 3, a transverse vertical section on the line 3--3 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4, a bottom plan view of the door check mechanism, 'and Fig. 5, acentral longitudinal section through the check cylinder on the line 5 5in Fig. 4.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the severalviews in the drawing.

A door I0 to be checked in its closing travel is hinged to the frame Ilto swing outwardly as indicated in Fig. 4. To the under side of the doorframe head l2, I rockably mount a cylinder I3 to be free to pivot so asto permit horizontal rotation.

This cylinder I3 is herein shown as being mounted by a bracket I4slipped over the cylinder and having a foot through which a screw I5passes and enters a plate I6 which is in turn secured to the under sideof the head I2. This cylinder carries a piston Il attached to the innerend of a connecting rod I8 which is slidably guided through a removablehead I9. The iit (Cl. 1li-84) of the rod I8 through the head I9l issufficiently loose as to permit escape of air through the head I9 aroundthe rod i8 as the piston Il may be advanced toward that head. The otherend of the cylinder I3 is closed with the exception of a re- 5 movableplug 20 screwthreadedly carried in that end and having a tapered slot 2llongitudinally across its periphery so that by advancing or retractingthe plug 2Q in that closed end of the cylinder, a variable size openingor escape may be 10 provided so that as the piston Il approaches thatend of the cylinder, the rate of escape of air or fluid entrappedtherebetween may be determined and regulated by the position of the plug20. Furthermore the cylinder I3 in the form herein 15 shown, but notnecessarily so, is provided with a longitudinal passage 22 in its sidewall toward the closed end of the cylinder so that as the piston Ilapproaches that closed end, the entrapped fluid between the piston andthat closed end may escape around the piston Il through that passagewayZ2 to the other side of the piston and thereby relieve resistance totravel of the piston toward the plug. Y

A lever 23 is rockably mounted on the plate I6 25 by any suitable means,here shown as by the screw 24. In the particular form of the leverherein shown, one end is turned inwardly away from the door I0 and ispivotally attached to that part of the rod I8 which projects or extendsfrom the head I9. rI'he other arm of the lever 23 extends along theinside of the door I0 in spaced relation therefrom and carries anadjustable extension 25 secured at any adjusted length by means of ascrew 25. The outerend of the extension 25 is provided with anysutablemeans for contacting I the inside of the door I without causingdamage or marring of its finish, the means herein shown being a rubberroller 2l.

The door I Il is normally pulled to a closed position by a spring 28attached to the inner side of the door by one end and by its other endto any suitable part of the door frame. The door I0 may be pushed orcarried to its open position as indicated by the dash lines in Fig. 4against the yield- 45 ing pull of the spring 28, all as in the usual andwell known manner.

A member 29, herein shown as in the form of a hook, is attached to theinner side of the door I0 to extend over the extension 25 withsufficient clearance thereover so as to permit the roller 21 to pass outthereunder as the door lil is swung to its open position. However as thedoor thus swings, the hook 29 will come into contact first with theextension 25 so as to rock the lever 23 55 and cause the piston II to bepulled along in the cylinder I3 toward the head I9. By the time theroller 2 passes out from under the hook 29 as indicated by the dash-dotlines of the door in Fig. 4, the piston I'I has been brought into closeproximity with the head I9 and since the extension 25 is then freed fromengagement with the hook 29, all of the various members, including theeX- tension 25, lever 23, piston II and its cylinder I3 are left in thepositions thus created while the door continues to swing through theremainder of its travel.

Now upon release of the door to return it to the influence of the spring28, the spring 281 will cause the door to rapidly travel toward itsclosed position. However this rapid travel is checked and the door isgently closed in a manner now to be described. As above indicated, 'theextension 25 is left in that position as indicated by the dash lines inFig. 4 so that the roller 27 is struck by the door I6 in its returningtravel. The inertia of the door and the continued pull of the spring 28will cause the extension 25 to be pushed inwardly with the roller 2lagain passing under the hook 2i! as it rolls along the inner side of thedoor. Now as the lever 23 is rocked by this travel of the extension 25,the piston Il is pushed backwardly in the cylinder I3 causing the iluidtherein to be quickly compressed as in the case of air or in any eventcausing the fluid trapped between the piston and the closed end of thecylinder to set up a lresistance to that travel of the piston. Thisresistance, of course, will be imparted directly to the door Ill throughthe lever 23 and its extension 25 with the contacting roller 21, thusquickly slowing down the travel of the door Il) in opposition to thepull of the spring 28. The parts are so proportioned as to size and tlthat the quick build up of pressure prevents the spring from slammingthe door shut but still permits the spring to pull the door closedagainst that pressure or resistance. The filial degree of Vresistance iscontrolled by adjusting the plug 2t) to permit escape of the fluidtrapped by the piston in the end of the cylinder. By the time the pistonI'I has approached the closed end of the cylinder as indicated in Fig.5, the door I will have reached a position within several inches of itsclosed position, the rate of deceleration of movement of the door beingVgreatest at this immediate position. Then when the by-pass is employed,instead of continuing that same rate of deceleration, the piston I'Iuncovers the by-pass 22, Vso that the entrapped uid between the pistonI'I and the closed end of the cylinder I3 is quickly released throughthat by-pass so that the spring 28 may then pull the door I0 on to itsclosed position with a decrease in that resistance theretofore ofered.The parts in any event are so proportioned that this nal closing of thedoor within the last few inches of travelfis accomplished gently butpositively without any slam or resulting noise.

For a given spring, weight or size of door, and fixed setting of theplug 2), the length of the lever isdecreasedby moving in the extension25 to overcome slamming. Thus I have achieved a very simple, effectivedoor check that is extremely low in cost comprising essentially acheaply constructed cylinder and an adjustable lever connected to apiston therein.

While I have herein shown and described my invention in the best form asnow known to me, structural variations 'may be employed withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention and I, therefore, do notintend to be limited to that precise form beyond the limitations as maybe imposed by the following claims.

' I claim:

1. For checking the closing of a door normally closed by a spring, arockable lever in the path of the door, means yieldingly resistingrocking of the lever in a closing door direction, and means carrying thelever through an initial predetermined length only of the door openingtravel, said resisting means comprising a cylinder and a piston in thecylinder connecting with said lever, said lever being adjustable as tolength whereby the effective lever length may be varied to meet varyingdoor conditions.

2. For checking the closing 0I" a door normally closed by mechanicalmeans, a, rockable lever in the path of the door, means yieldinglyresisting rocking of the lever in a closing door direction, and meanscarrying the leverthrough an initial predetermined length only of thedoor opening travel, said lever being adjustable as to length wherebythe eiiective lever length may be varied to meet varying doorconditions.

3. For checking the closing of a door normally closed by mechanicalmeans, a rockable lever in the path of the door, means yieldablyresisting rocking of the lever in a closing door direction, and meanscarrying the lever through an initial predetermined length only of thedoor opening travel, said lever being in two tubular pieces, one

telescoping in the other held at adjustment by a set screw whereby theeffective lever length may be varied to meet varying door conditions.

ERNEST VAN ARSDEL.

